Week #1

The first day of my internship, I was surprisingly not nervous once I entered the office. I was
quite excited actually. Me and my classmates who were assigned at the Prosecutor's office were
greeted by friendly welcomes from the staff and prosecutors. Of course, the first meeting was all
about introducing ourselves to each other, getting to know their work and position at the office.
Ma'am Mumtaz gave us an orientation about the background of the agency, the roles and to
whom the secretaries are assigned (prosecutor/s), and the designated courts that the prosecutors
are assigned. After the orientation, ma'am Susie gave me my first task which is to write
information for mailing of subpoenas and resolutions. She also taught me the order of how cases
are being filed:

1. Information data form

2. Evaluation of case to be filed (by the prosecutor)

3. Signing of documents

4. Mailing of Subpoena

5. Mailing of Information

6. Sending Information in the court (from the OPP)

7. Mailing of schedule for hearing (by the court)

My first week as an intern has been chill since they didn't give us much work yet. It's more about
informing us on the duties of the prosecutors, and that they handle criminal cases within the
province. We also got the chance to witness a court hearing at Branch 29. It was not anything like
the movies that I expected. A lot of hearings were rescheduled because the clients didn't attend. It
was kind of calm rather than aggressive, plus it was fast because of the schedule and the number
of hearings to be finished in just a day.
 Week #2

There are really a lot of people who come to the office. A lot of crimes are being filed, which
made me realize that there are a lot of things that are happening to which I don't know of. And
the cases being filed are mostly criminal crimes. This is the first time that I had encountered a lot
of cuffed people within a day, a lot of police officers assisting clients, a lot of people in general. I
have learned to interact with people, help them with their queries, and help the staff of the OPP.
The prosecutors asked us to return and get file cases from their inventory for their case hearing
and follow-ups which is hard due to the number of folders stacked on the shelves.

The secretaries also asked me to teach them how to play volleyball for the upcoming regional
event. We played at the San Nicolas gym, and while playing with them, it was a chance to get to
know them more. And after the activity, we went back to the office and continued our designated
work. The office also celebrated fiscal Gina's send-off, and now a judge. I also got the chance to
encode fiscal clearance for the client's board exam, promotion, etc. And I was asked to encode
resolutions and statements for some cases.
 Week #3

There's nothing much that I did this week. I was assigned to the front desk to assist the clients. I
encoded fiscal clearance, asked the staff about updates for the client's follow-ups, encoded
resolutions and filled up information for mailing. I have learned that there are busy days, but
there are also days where there's not much help that we can do for the staffs. This week passed
with slow days. Only a few clients went to the office for follow-ups and clearances. We also
mailed a few resolutions and subpoenas and stamped a few documents.
 Week #4

I get to witness how the prosecutors perform an investigation of the cases being filed. There are a
lot of questions, confirmation of information written in the documents, and assessing all the
evidence attached to the documents. It was fascinating because I get to see for myself how the
complainants explain their side and the way they tell the story of how it happened. There are
clients who are not able to control their emotions while being investigated. I've witnessed some
angry clients, crying clients, and calm clients who talked to the prosecutors. I also stamped the
documents for the prosecutor’s signature.

I have learned that there are two types of investigations: Preliminary Investigation (Regular
filing) and Inquest. For the regular filing, the complainant themselves are the ones who file the
cases, can either be with the assistance of a police officer but it does not necessarily require the
respondent to be present. While for Inquest, it literally means "caught in the act" therefore both
the complainants and respondents are present for investigation assisted by the police.

Our instructor also paid us a visit to the office to check on me and my co-interns. He asked the
staff of the OPP if we were doing well with the tasks assigned to each of us.
 Week #5

Although it took me some time to memorize whom the secretaries are assigned, I finally got the
hang of knowing whom to approach whenever a client will ask for follow-ups regarding their
case. I was asked by fiscal Ibarra to get the judgment of 4 cases from Branch 27 as well as his
calendar and assisted the OPP staff. There are a lot of papers works that were done by the
prosecutors, secretaries, and administrative officers which is why me and my co-interns initiated
to help them with simple tasks such as mailing, encoding, ad tending to the queries of the clients.
All these are the common tasks given to us by the OPP staff.

Within this week, there are times that I struggled to keep myself busy because there are only a
few things that are to be done. It was a challenge to keep myself awake, especially during the
afternoons when there are barely any clients while I was assigned at the front desk.
 Week #6 and #7

This week was the only time that I felt comfortable talking to the staff since the first 5 weeks, I
was still adjusting especially since I’m shy around people, I am not close with and it’s hard for
me to in communicate much with them Though thankfully, I didn’t have any trouble
communicating with our clients since the first day of my internship. What I enjoy during
conversations with the staff that are not related to the work at the office is when they would ask
what I’ll do after college. They give me helpful tips, and they are also encouraging when I said I
want to pursue law. They even suggested continuing law school as a full-time student because
that way, I wouldn’t struggle in balancing my time so that I will be able to focus on grad school.

These two weeks weren’t any different from the previous weeks since the tasks given were the
same except there are only two of the staff who were at the office for two days because the others
attended an event which made it busier in the office due to being understaffed. Cases are being
filed here and there, and a lot of clients issued clearances and follow-ups. Due to the many cases
being filed, I practiced moving fast while making sure that there are no mistakes in
accomplishing the tasks.
 Week #8
It is important to be discrete and respectful of the cases being filed in the office. What happens in
the office should stay within the office especially since most of the cases are sensitive and
private. This week has been also a chilling experience because one of the weapons used in
committing the crime as a piece of evidence was kept in the office. It was a bolo almost the size
of half of my body. Another is witnessing minor clients being violated of inhumane crimes with
their parents crying by their side. I realized that this profession takes a lot of guts in keeping a
calm emotional restrain.

It was also a challenge to witness angry clients that kept on asking for updates. It’s a shame
because I used to not understand why it takes a lot of time in resolving cases but when I became
an intern at the Prosecutor’s office, I realized that a lot of cases are being filed in just a day with
only a few people to handle them. It takes at least two to three months in resolving a regular
case, so I understand why some clients are mad about the pace of the office but at the same time I
also understand why it takes that much time.
 Week #9

This week out of all the weeks during my internship has been the most tiring. My back ached
from getting and returning files from the inventory, stamping one case to be filed after another,
encoding of resolutions and subpoenas for mailing, encoding of prosecutor’s clearance, etc. It
was one of the busiest weeks because every hour of the day, there are clients who inquire about
filling and follow-ups. I also made a mistake twice in encoding the prosecutor’s clearance due to
the number of clients that were to issue a clearance at the same time. The secretaries were busy
encoding resolutions while we were busy helping with the stamping of documents to lessen the
workload. This was the week when a lot of clients were asking for a prosecutor’s clearance for
their board exam. I think there were at least three to five people in a group who came into the
office at the same.

But although it was tiring, the staff always give us snacks in the afternoon and a few minutes to
rest. There’s never a day we go home with an empty stomach. Especially during occasions such
as birthdays and congratulatory celebrations.
 Week #10 and #11

This week I realized that you really don’t need special skills to be able to work at the
prosecutor’s office. Yes, it’s hard to accommodate clients at the same time but I noticed that
every day is just the same. The tasks, the process, investigations, subscriptions, receiving of
documents, and the like. What I enjoyed this week though was the stamping of file documents
because the cases were interesting, and we were allowed to read the statements of the cases. Of
course, I did not disclose any information that I had read from their complaints because it’s
unethical to tell the story of a stranger whose case is supposed to be confidential.

Confidentiality and knowing the clients’ privacy is another thing that should be given attention
to. Because it was this week when a cease report was posted on social media that stirred the
masses of an institution. It triggered the people’s concern about their safety within that
institution. That issue made me realize that it’s important to undergo further investigation before
disclosing information to the public, as it can cause fear among the people.
 Week #112 and #13

The last two weeks have been very memorable for me. I enjoyed more on my usual tasks, and I
get to entertain a lot of people, even familiar faces that inquired at the office. It was very helpful
that I get to be an intern at the Prosecutor’s office because I get to help someone I know by
guiding them to which offices they should go and I get to tell them the next step that they should
do. What I won’t forget is during my last day as an intern, I was encoding a prosecutor’s
clearance for one client for his promotion. It was a responsibility to provide them with their
needs, but it was also rewarding to hear the words “good job” from a client. It was a tiring last
day of the internship but because of that, I get to keep my mood up for the remaining hours I had
left.